This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application having Ser. No. 62/061,223, which was filed Oct. 8, 2014. The aforementioned patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into the present application to the extent consistent with the present application.
Machines, such as engines and compressors, are used in a variety of industries where it is desirable to force a fluid into or out of a chamber by changing the volume of the chamber. For example, in an oil refinery, one type of compressor, referred to as a screw compressor, utilizes a rotary type of positive displacement mechanism to produce a compressed fluid. Such compressors typically include conduits or pathways through which a fluid flows during operation. Generating the fluid flow therethrough and compressing or otherwise processing the fluid typically leads to the generation of noise or acoustic energy. It may be desirable to attenuate this acoustic energy since the acoustic energy may cause undesirable vibrations and structural failures.
Accordingly, silencers are often used in machines to reduce pressure pulsations, vibrations, and noise. For example, with respect to a screw compressor, silencers may be disposed at the inlet and outlet thereof to reduce the generated noise. While the silencers may be useful for lowering noise emissions, some machines may generate large amounts of noise not fully attenuated by the silencers as the fluid flows therethrough. This excess acoustical energy may be undesirable in certain applications, particularly in environments where operators are present.
Accordingly, there exists a need for systems capable of attenuating acoustical energy generated by machines to address these drawbacks.